I had always thought that a hand press was a neat idea for absolutely portable tooling to address a VERY specific job. But I assumed that using one would...suck.

Well, my buddy expressed an interest in handloading and he had himself convinced that a hand press was exactly how he wanted to start, no matter how much I tried to explain that he would tire of it quickly. That's what he bought, and I made a trip to visit him, bring some goodies, and help him get rolling a bit.

So I got to use the hand press... hands-on and see for myself if my preconceived notion would be true. And I was right. Dead right, for dead-sure certain. The hand press sucks. It's almost precisely what I thought it would be. There's nothing about it that I enjoy.

I still see the utility in it, I truly do. If I found myself in some goofy situation where I -HAD- to do it that way, I could do it. But even when I was 18 and moved off to college, I used an o-frame press mounted to a plank of wood on the corner of my bed to work my brass and it was miles better than a hand press.

I'm not really talking about production speed. I'm just talking about the simple mechanics of the work being done. I'd take almost any bench mented press over the Lee Hand Press. Lee even makes a simple C-frame press that is not at all what we'd term "heavy duty" and it even costs less money than the hand press, but I'd much rather work with it.

Please consider a bench-mounted press.

For your bullets, 230gr FMJ is a fine place to start for .45 Auto.

As to the items you've ordered and those you are still planning to order, you'll need some manner of a tool to prime your brass. As to more help or suggestions -- sounds like you have the right attitude for this... just ask more questions here and be as specific as you can.

__________________Attention Brass rats and other reloaders: I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.